Legal Aspects of Owning and Managing Woodlands

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1559636386 ISBN 13: 9781559636384

Publisher: Island Press, 1998

Owning and managing forest lands is an inherently legal endeavor. From forest acquisition to deeds and boundaries, from timber sales to bequests, few things can be done without confronting laws, rules, regulations, and traditions that define acceptable and unacceptable practices. For most owners, managing forests is a learn-as-you-go proposition, and too often a crash course in law follows a disagreement.Legal Aspects of Owning and Managing Woodlands is both an accessible overview of the privileges, rights, and obligations that accompany forest ownership, and a guidebook to help active forest managers use laws to their advantage and avoid the pitfalls of expensive and exhausting litigation.Chapters examine all aspects of woodland ownership and management, from general issues to specific concerns, including: private property and public interest acquiring and owning forest lands surveys and boundaries managing and using forest lands forest management contracts ethics in forestry practice forest taxation planning for woodlands in your estate settling disputes and shopping for a lawyer The book breaks new ground by examining legal matters in practical, everyday language. It provides clear and concise descriptions of often confusing concepts and difficult subjects, and addresses issues in a competent yet conversational tone. It is not intended to take the place of legal advice, but it will help forest owners understand an essential body of law, enabling them to ask the right questions of their attorneys, consulting foresters, and all those they encounter in the complex task of owning and managing land.

About the Author:

Thomas J. McEvoy is Professor and Extension Forester in the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources at the University of Vermont. McEvoy's two areas of emphasis are sustainable forests and owning and managing forests. McEvoy is the author of Legal Aspects of Owning and Managing Woodlands (Island Press, 1998), winner of the National Woodland Owner’s Association award for “Best Forestry Book of the Year”; Owning and Managing Forests: A Guide to Legal, Financial, and Practical Matters (Island Press, 2005), winner of the National Woodland Owner’s Association award for "Best Forestry Book of the Year"; and Positive Impact Forestry: A Sustainable Approach to Managing Woodlands (Island Press, 2004), named the “Best Forestry Book of the Year” for 2004 by the National Forestry Association. Positive Impact Forestry was also awarded the American Library Association CHOICE Award for "Outstanding Academic Title in Biology/Botany in 2004.” He received an B.S. (cum laude) in Forestry from Michigan State University and a M.S. in Forest Biology from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.